The Goth Father: Peter Murphy Talks About Working To Forget The Past

For a few synth-heavy seconds into "Hang Up," the first track on Peter Murphy's new album, "Lion," it's unclear what kind of creepy, haunted house you're walking into.

But when the chorus rolls around — with Murphy yelling "Hagia Sophia," which means something like "Holy Wisdom" — you're communing with the Godfather of Goth, on his terms. The rest of the ex-Bauhaus singer's tenth solo album, which was produced under feverish working conditions by Youth (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney), is similarly exhilarating: industrial squeals compete for space with acoustic pianos and dance-hall drums, while Murphy exorcises demons on "I Am My Own Name" (he channels David Bowie when he growls, "No thin pixie / white and drawn") or the and the slow-drip "Loctaine."

Murphy plays the Ballroom at the Outer Space in Hamden on June 11, with Ringo Deathstarr opening. CTNow asked him about the recording of "Lion," and a few other topics.

CTNow: "Hang Up," the first single from your upcoming album "Lion," came out in April, and it's pretty damn great. The music, lyrics and production are so powerful. What can you tell us about writing that song and how it took shape in the studio?

Peter Murphy: As for most or all of the songs on "Lion," the process was intuitive and fast and driven musically by Youth, my producer, with him driving me to create on the spot.

CTNow: The video is similarly incredible. I never knew kids washing their faces and brushing their teeth could be so spooky. Did you have a lot of input as it was being put together? Where does the footage come from?

PM: This is a record company commissioned piece that I was happy to allow Justin Coloma (the director) to improvise to create nonspecific imagery preferring to let the song speak for itself as much as possible.

CTNow: In May 2013, you told Billboard that you initially approached producer Martin Glover (aka Youth), an old friend of yours, just to see what would happen, and you ended up recording the bulk of "Lion" in under a week. Did you return to the studio after that? How close is the finished product to what you did together during that first week of recording?

PM: Yes, the first week sessions were as prolific as to have given us some nine or so songs. Since I was on tour, I returned to Youth's Spanish studio to complete another five. Youth is responsible for completing the work in my absence.

CTNow: This will be your 10th solo album. During the process, did that milestone mean anything to you? Did it up the stakes, in a way?

PM: Any new album is a blank page that needs a fresh reinvention, and if you let it, this can get in the way and cause blocks. I work on forgetting what has gone so as not to let this happen.

CTNow: On tour, what do you like to do when you arrive in a new town, assuming there's time to do anything?

PM: On such hard schedules as I have been taking on there is as you say little free time from arrival to sound check and the preparation for the show and show itself. If I can, I will take a walk and take in the local scenery and find good local restaurants with a band mate.

PETER MURPHYperforms on Wednesday, June 11, at the Ballroom at the Outer Space in Hamden, with Ringo Deathstarr opening. Showtime is 9 p.m. Tickets are $20-$100. Information: theouterspace.net.